Bills' Whittle returns to home state

Alex Rubin

Monday

Sep 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 29, 2008 at 3:11 PM

Jason Whittle returned to his home state of Missouri on Sunday as a member of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Whittle played for the Camdenton Lakers under Bob Shore as a high school student and now is a reserve lineman for the 4-0 Bills.

Jason Whittle returned to his home state of Missouri on Sunday as a member of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

Whittle played for the Camdenton Lakers under Bob Shore as a high school student and now is a reserve lineman for the 4-0 Bills.

However, this week, Whittle treated more than 100 friends and family members who made the trip to St. Louis by taking the field as a fullback.

“It was exciting actually being on the field,” Whittle said. “The big thing was getting the win.”

Whittle played fullback last season for the Bills before getting injured, and Sunday he filled in at times when starter Darian Barnes was declared inactive for the game due to injury.

Whittle said playing different positions and helping when needed is all part of being part of a team.

He said this year’s Bills’ squad is more of a family than anything else.

Having to find 100 tickets for all of his fans as well as prepare to play two positions could have been a daunting task.

Whittle, however, had his wife and mother. He said they took care of all of the tickets and planning for the event so he could concentrate on football.

Whittle did not touch the ball during the game, and said that’s the way it should be. He’s more comfortable blocking the guy in front of him, although he did admit it’s every NFL player’s dream to catch the football or score a touchdown.

Whittle said there were a couple of pass plays designed for him, but the calls never came to fruition.

He said there are many similarities between the offensive line and fullback positions: both jobs require you to block the defender.

There are some noticeable differences between the two positions. Mainly, he said, when you are at fullback, you don’t have someone lined right up in your face, you have open space to work with.

Growing up in Camdenton, Whittle said he liked the St. Louis Cardinals – who have since moved to Arizona – and the Kansas City Chiefs equally. But his favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys.

Over the summer, Whittle returned to the Lake of the Ozarks to coach a youth league flag football team.

He said that he was humbled by the opportunities he has been given and wants to be a role model for the kids, saying “anything is possible if you work hard.”

This will not be the last time Whittle and the Bills travel to Missouri this season. They will play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 20.

Contact this reporter at lakesports@lakesunleader.com.

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